Halloween is one of my favourite time of year. Colours are changing. Its not quite the dead of winter. And we have an excuse to party ;-). Over the past few years I’ve also come to experience the importance of the changing rhythm of life at this time of year. Its a time when nature prepares for the coming year: store food for winter, start sewing spring seeds, sort the survivors from the rest in new families (foxes, rats and squirrels are most obvious casualties). The symbolism of a bonfire is appropriate to getting rid of dead wood from our lives if we want to make a new start. The pagan ritual was symbolic of a sense of respect for those gone before – the dead; this also is useful grounding in the modern consumer culture of credit driven desire for more stuff. I hope you have a chance to reflect on past and future this Halloween. If you need a bonfire to help … come and stand around ours to be lit at 7pm. Here are a couple of links for more on the traditions of this time of year: Halloween, Samhain (from ancient Irish).
I’ve started mountain biking on the beat as briars and nettles slowly retreat. Its great! But a bit dangerous. I’ve kissed the nettles and nearly bathed in the Slaney a couple of times, but its getting a bit easier each time. Its definitely adults only (or with adult supervision). If you want to join the fun, please let me know.
Yoga is in full swing: 8pm at Teach Bride, Tullow or Thursday at 7.30 at Mount Wolseley, Tullow. Give Pam a call for more info 086 0891141.
Pam has set up PestalozziWorld Ireland an affiliate of the group that sponsors children’s education in Asia and Africa. We’ve always believed education is the best way to improve lives and communities and this charity helps the least advantaged. If you would like to know more, check out the website or chat with Pam or me. There’ll also be an information reception on 7th December – please let us know if you’d like to come.
The tomato harvest is winding down now as the weather turns cool and humid and will only be available for another week or so.
We had a couple of tours of the garden since last months offer. The garden infrastructure and history has become more interesting to me since reading Joseph Paxton’s biography. Paxton rose from garden boy to member of parliament and advisor to many in the first half of the 1800s. It was a time of great interest in horticulture when new propagation techniques and global expeditions to find new species took place. It is at about this time that the walled garden would have been constructed and the rhododendrons planted. The interest in horticulture then was similar to the investments in IT today. The biography is A Thing In Disguise if you’re interested.
The experiment with a blog seems to be going well – web traffic doubled last month so somebody’s reading it!.
Happy Halloween.
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